It is well understood that the use of dental floss is an important part of a total oral hygiene program. Flossing teeth helps to prevent periodontal disease, such as gingivitis for example. The use of floss helps to dislodge food particles and plaque from interstitial surfaces of teeth. Caries will develop on tooth surfaces where there is an accumulation of plaque. Although the use of a toothbrush reduces plaque on the occlusal areas of teeth, a tooth brush offers only a minimal reduction in plaque within the interstitial regions of the teeth. Dental floss is the only effective means to disrupt the accumulation of plaque in such interstitial regions, thereby reducing the likelihood for the carie development.
Unfortunately, persons requiring fixed orthodontic appliances, commonly referred to in the United States as braces, and persons wearing dental bridges, such as a Maryland style bridge for example, can not benefit from the cleaning capabilities associated with normal dental flossing techniques without the aid of cumbersome apparatus. More particularly, standard flossing techniques are not appropriate for users of these appliances and devices because they prevent the dental floss from freely entering into the interstitial regions when performing the normal up and down motion of flossing.
In the past, a floss threader or needle has been employed to thread dental floss between a gum line and an orthodontic appliance or Maryland bridge. One such floss threader is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,658. A shortcoming of such a floss threader is that it is often very cumbersome to use, especially for a person lacking average dexterity. A user of such a floss threader must thread the device prior to application in the mouth for the purposes of flossing, much like a sewing needle.
Another shortcoming associated with the use of a floss threader is the potential for the device to be swallowed during use if the threader becomes separated from the floss. Children may lack the motor skills to remove the separated pieces from their mouth, which, of course, is hazardous.
Attempts have been made to bond a rigid floss leader to a flexible section of dental floss. Such an article is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,063. However, the bond between the two units often fails in use. Additionally, an enlarged cross-sectional diameter at the transition point between the leader and the floss may cause pain when passing the article through the space between the teeth and gums.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,499, a plastic coating may be applied to a dental floss to render a portion of the dental floss rigid. Although this method may be satisfactorily employed with dental floss materials consisting of thermoplastics, such as nylon or polyethylene, and natural fibers such as cotton, such a method is not useful with dental floss comprised at least in part of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). When such a method is practiced on non-modified monofilaments of polytetrafluoroethylene, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or full density expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, the molten thermoplastic beads on the surface of the dental floss material and does not provide a rigid continuous network of the thermoplastic. The beading of the thermoplastic is due to the inherent low surface energy and high hydrophobicity of the polytetrafluoroethylene.
The use of polytetrafluoroethylene as a dental floss is taught in such United States Patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,033,488 and 5,220,932. It is well accepted that dental flosses made of polytetrafluoroethylene and forms of expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene are superior to nylon and natural fiber materials. Flosses consisting of PTFE benefit from the low coefficient of friction inherent to PTFE thereby allowing the floss material to easily maneuver between tight oral contacts without excessive force or severe abrading of gum tissue. Notwithstanding the laudable benefits associated with dental flosses comprised at least in part of PTFE, to date, secondary floss threader devices are needed by persons having orthodontic appliances or dental bridges, and who wish to use such PTFE dental floss.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present dental floss materials. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an improved dental floss article directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.